When foreign children run afoul of the law

[Hachiko]

By ALICE GORDENKER

My kids generally don't mind it when I write about them in this column, although on occasion my older son has accused me of exploiting him for professional gain. It happened again when he heard the topic for today's column. "You're writing about foreign kids who get in trouble with the police?" He rolled his eyes. "And I suppose you want me to get myself arrested so you can write all about it!"
Actually, that's one experience I could live without. I hope neither of my kids ever get arrested, particularly in a foreign country. But such things happen. Last year, more than 1,000 foreign juveniles were arrested in Japan. More than half were either Brazilian or Chinese, but kids of many different nationalities were detained. Some get convicted.



Japan Times (http://www.japantimes.com/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?ek20040415ag.htm)

(With this post I join "the 700 Club"...)

[Golgo_13]

No different if a Japanese juvenile commits a crime in a foreign country.

[ashuri2]

actually, the law seems pretty fair, and the children get in trouble for fewer things than they do in the u.s.- smoking, drinking. i like the way drugs are cracked down on, though.

[sakurastar]

Whenever a burglary/mugging/robbery/killing etc was reported on the tv here in Japan, and my hostmum happened to see it, she would mutter to herself in Japanese "I knew it, i bet its the Chinese again". For her, there was no possible way a Japanese would ever do anything bad like that, so if something happened in the news she would chime in with "Its the Chinese"! :-(

[lexico]

Those are quite appalling words from your hostess.
At least she could have said the Chinese mob which would still have been offensive ! But what about the Korean mob or the Japanese mob !
To think, speak, and behave as if there were no way a Japanese person could have been pushed by extreme poverty or other circumstances to commit burglary is quite embarassing of her.
I would imagine she is a very ignorant, unintelligent, insecure person with little civilized education. :okashii:

[Mike Cash]

Japan Times (http://www.japantimes.com/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?ek20040415ag.htm)

(With this post I join "the 700 Club"...)

Congratulations.

In how many of those 700 did you offer an opinion or observation, rather than just doing a boilerplate copy of a news article?